Bottle-washer



Patented mw. 29, |398.v

ATTORNEY.

P. HAMM &. J. W. PERTZ.

BUTTLE WASHER.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1897.)

(No Model.)

ythe interior of a bottle.

Nrrni) STATES IIIILLIP HAMM AND JOHN IVM.

PERTZ, OF ELVO'OD, INDIANA.'

BOTTLE-WASH ER.

i SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,861, datedNovember 29, 1898.

Application filed September 14, 1897. Serial No. 651,634. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that we, PHILLIP HAMM and JOHN WM. PERTZ, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Elwood, in the county of Madison, State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Washing Machines; and We hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description thereof, such as will enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to that class of machines forming thesubject-matter of United States Letters Patent No. 565,456, issued to usjointly on the 11th day of August, 1896. The present invention, however,may be said to reside in the flexible cleaning-brushes used inconnection with such machines. These brushes will be hereinafterparticularly described and pointed out in the claims following, generalreference being made to the machine shown as a means of practicing orcarrying out our invention, a particular description whereof may befound in the patent above noted.

Our invention therefore has for its object the production of means forcleaning the interior of bottles with great rapidity and efficiency,such means consisting of iiexible brushes specially reinforced andadapted for their intended use.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification andwhereon the same reference-letters indicate corresponding parts in theseveral views, Figure l represents a plan view of our invention, partlyin section, showing action of brushes upon Fig. 2 is an enlarged sideview of brush and brush-socket, partly in section. Figs. 3 and 4t aretransverse sections of brush and holder, taken, respectively, on thelines 3 3 and et 4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a transverse verticalsection taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. l.

Reference being had to the drawings and letters thereon, A indicates thebed-plate of a bottle-washing machine.

B is a cylinder rotatably mounted in suitable bearings.

Cis a water-pipe which penetrates the head of cylinder B and is adaptedto reciprocate therein under action of a hand-lever D, alsolongitudinally movable and connected by a cross-head E. Within cylinderB is located a reciprocally and rotatably movable brushhead F, to oneend of which is joined the water-pipe C and to the other a hollowbrushstem G, the latter projecting through brushguide H and bearing sidefeathers d a in engagement with corresponding splines ZJ Z) on theinterior of said guide H, as shown by Fig. 5.

Near its 4extremity hollow stem G is pro vided Wit-h small outlet-portsc c, by which water may be introduced into bottles being cleansed, whilebeyond this is afliXed to said stem a ferrule I, perforated by sideopenings d d for the reception of our improved form of brush.

J indicates a iiexible brush bifurcated, as shown,or dividedlongitudinally into a greater number of sections K K, if desired. At itscoupling or socket end this brushJ is reduced and provided with sidelugs e e, projecting from opposite sides thereof, designed and adaptedto coact with the openings d d of ferrule I in effecting a rapid andeffectual coupling between the two members.

Brush J is of flexible material, preferably rubber, within which isembedded a flexible metallic ribbon or ribbons L L, extending well intoeach section of the brush for the purpose of reinforcing same at itspoints of most severe strains, as best shown by Figs. 2 and 3.

Surrounding the brush-guide H is an annular cushion M of elasticymaterial for the purpose of cushioning the neck of a bottle Whenintroduced to the machine for cleaning, as shown by Fig. l, whilesurrounding cylinder B is a loose pulley f, driven at constant speed andadapted to transmit power to the cylinder aforesaid through the agencyof a friction-clutch g, adjacent thereto.

The operation of our invention is as follows: vA bottle to be cleansedhaving been introduced to the machine, as shown, lever D is drawnforward, the single movement serving to open valve h, permitting a headof water to enter pipe C and at same time to advance said pipe anddependent parts, including the brushes K K, projecting the latter fromtheir guide H, into the interior of bottle operated upon andsimultaneously with said movements to throw the friction-clutch g intoene IOO gagement with revolving pulley f, whereby rotary motion iscommunicated to cylinder B, the brush-guide H, and thence, through theagency of splines and feathers b a, to the reciprocating brushes K K.These brushes thus attaining rapid rotary motion are distended bycentrifugal force until they hug closely the inner Walls of the bottle,which are thereby thoroughly scraped and cleaned, the operation beingaided materially by a liberal supply of Water introduced to the bottlethrough outlets or ports c c in the brushsrem Gr. This operation maythen be repeated as frequently as bottles are presented to the machinefor the purpose of cleansing, and it will be noted that the constructionof brushes K and their retaining-sockets I is such as to permit of rapidremoval or replacing of the brushes, which, however, when once adjustedare securely retained against accidental dislodgment, the liability ofderangement or breakage being reduced to a minimum, the durability aswell as eiiciency of the brushes being materially increased by themetallic reinforcing-ribbons L L, extending into each member of thebrush, as shown by Fig. 2.

I-Iaving thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In abottle-cleaning machine the combination with a rotatable hollowsupportingstem, of a longitudinally divided flexible brush, iiexiblemetallic ribbons embedded in the brush, and a yielding elasticconnection between said brush and its stein, substantially as described.

2. In a bottle-cleaning machine the combination with a rotatable hollowsupportingstem, of a longitudinally-divided ilexible brush, flexiblemetallic ribbons embedded in the brush, and coupling members upon saidbrush and its stem consisting of correlative projections and depressionsadapted to inter lock, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures, in presence of twoWitnesses, this 7 th day of September, 1897.

PHILLIP HAMM. JOHN XVM. PER' `Z.

Witnesses i B. R. CALL, Cassius M. GREENLEE.

